What an amazing weekend! Chris and I had such a remarkable time at our church's marriage conference, Romance Uncensored, at the Branson Landing! This year's theme was Touch, Tone, Timing! I love how I can see God working in my life on the same issues through many different venues! He really does know that I need to hear things over and over again to get it! I am so very thankful for His patience!!
This weekend Pastor Shannon had ,as usual, incredible, biblical advice on marriage and the importance of touch and how important tone is during conflict , because yes there will be conflict, but the one area that really struck me was the area of timing. God is really hitting this area hard with me! In all honesty, if my time is right then my tone is much easier to have in check! I just know that when my time is out of whack and I am rushed, over scheduled,and overwhelmed that is a recipe for my tone to be not so pleasant and touch well that's another story!:)
There were several things that I took away about time/timing. One of the most important was a verse I have listened to but I don't know how completely and totally intentional I have been with applying this to every area of my life. It is James 1:19 " Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to be anger." At times when I let my schedule be over taken with doing too many good things I sometimes let the best things ( my family) get the quick
reactions from an overworking mom and even others around me.
Which leads me to what Shannon had to say to us overworking spouses... He asked these 3
questions and honestly I am still trying to think through them and find the truth that is
going to set me free from being a workaholic.
1. What does work mean to you? 2. What satisfaction does it bring you? 3. What need is work
fulfilling?
I do see God changing my heart about work. I truly love what I do as an instructional facilitator and I do believe it makes a difference but he is also showing me balance and the importance of my family. I want to be that Proverbs 31 woman for them. I want to be full of faith, trustworthy, have my priorities inline, my time be well spent, manage my finances under Chris's leadership, be the mother I am meant to be, serve from my heart, and be a woman of industry. I know that only with God's help will I get there. I am leaning on Him to continue to mold me and get me where He wants me to be. All in His timing...
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Next 10 Years
Our Campus Pastor challenged us today to think about all that has happened in our lives in the last ten years since 9/11 and to think about what our lives might be like in the next ten years. That has really got me thinking...
10 years ago I was a 1st grade teacher at a wonderful private school in Fayetteville, the mother of a 23 month old girl,a wife of 5 years to the love of my life, and a very lukewarm Christian.
Many things have shaped me in the last 10 years: having a baby boy the day my husband, Chris, left for 14 months to go to Iraq, breaking my foot and almost dying from a pulmonary embolism, joining Brand New Church, a church in which I have learned and grown so much over the last 4 years but none of these are more important than beginning to have a true relationship with Christ.
As of right now, I am an instructional facilitator in Fayetteville, the mother of 2 great and challenging kids, the wife to the man of my dreams but I am learning so much about myself right now too. I'm learning so so many areas in which I need to grow.
Through Chris's leadership and the help of good old Dave Ramsey, I have learned much about
finances, I am learning how to say" no"and set my priorities on what is important not just
lots of "good things",I am learning how to be led and that I don't have to be in control ( not easy for me), and I am learning that in these next 10 years God has some big things in store!
Who knows the path He has set before me? I just know I am glad He is in charge. Maybe he has planned for us to move to Nashville for Chris to work for Dave, maybe He wants me to work part time to spend more time with my family, maybe He wants us to adopt, I really don't know what the next 10 years will bring, we are not even promised our next breath, but I do know I am excited to see what God is about to do in my life, in our family's life.. I am excited to see how God is going to grow me to rely on Him more and more!!
Where have you grown in the last ten years and what are you believing God to do in the next 10?
10 years ago I was a 1st grade teacher at a wonderful private school in Fayetteville, the mother of a 23 month old girl,a wife of 5 years to the love of my life, and a very lukewarm Christian.
Many things have shaped me in the last 10 years: having a baby boy the day my husband, Chris, left for 14 months to go to Iraq, breaking my foot and almost dying from a pulmonary embolism, joining Brand New Church, a church in which I have learned and grown so much over the last 4 years but none of these are more important than beginning to have a true relationship with Christ.
As of right now, I am an instructional facilitator in Fayetteville, the mother of 2 great and challenging kids, the wife to the man of my dreams but I am learning so much about myself right now too. I'm learning so so many areas in which I need to grow.
Through Chris's leadership and the help of good old Dave Ramsey, I have learned much about
finances, I am learning how to say" no"and set my priorities on what is important not just
lots of "good things",I am learning how to be led and that I don't have to be in control ( not easy for me), and I am learning that in these next 10 years God has some big things in store!
Who knows the path He has set before me? I just know I am glad He is in charge. Maybe he has planned for us to move to Nashville for Chris to work for Dave, maybe He wants me to work part time to spend more time with my family, maybe He wants us to adopt, I really don't know what the next 10 years will bring, we are not even promised our next breath, but I do know I am excited to see what God is about to do in my life, in our family's life.. I am excited to see how God is going to grow me to rely on Him more and more!!
Where have you grown in the last ten years and what are you believing God to do in the next 10?
Monday, September 5, 2011
It Has Taken Years But It Is Finally Sinking In...
I meet each Thursday with a very small group of women for coffee and accountability. Two weeks ago, we were looking for our newest book to read and learn from together. There were many books to choose from Sun Stand Still, Radical, Crazy Love, and the list goes on and on but after our discussion of all of these books that afternoon we got a text from our fearless leader that said, " K, made a change... final decision. Next study will be WEIRD by Craig Groeschel. Get out and get it! Get ready!! We r normal:) this will rock our world. I'm on page 19."
"Okay," I think to myself I can do this. So I download the sample of WEIRD into my iBooks. Yes, the sample because I didn't have enough money at the time in my entertainment envelope to buy it. I begin to read the intro and can totally relate to Groeschel on his college years. Mine were much the same. Then all of a sudden I begin to read Part 1: TIME. I should have known this subject was going to convict me but I never knew how much it would. God has been working on this area in my life for about 3 years now ever since I broke my foot and I had to rely on others around me. But TIME has always been an enemy of mine. I have often joked that I have " Martha-like" tendencies that I don't know how to say "no." All of which is true. I never wanted to let anyone down by saying those two letters. But over the last 3 years it is something I have struggled off and on with. I will do better for a time and then I let my priorties get out of wack! There were several things in this first chapter that once again caught my attention. Things that I know God wants to use to make sure I stay on this narrow road...
1. " When we overschedule ourselves in the belief that we can do everything, we stop being human and try to become godlike- not only impossible but also incredibly arrogant. Most of us are living at a pace that is not only unsustainable; it's unbiblical.
2. " You have enough time to do everything God wants you to do."
3." We need to use the time we already have differently.
4. " We fall into the trap of beign busy instead of being bigger than the tyranny of the urgent."
5. Normal people allow good things to become the enemy of the best things. Too many good ( or acceptable) things quickly overwhelm the most important things in life.
6. Keeping an "or" in the water prevents filling your boat with so many good things that they ultimately sink the ship.
All of these statements struck me to my core, I can so easily say " yes" to many "good' things that the important things in my life are shut out. I know this is something I constantly battle but I am believing that if I will allow God to take over He will show me what I need to say "yes" to and what is okay to say "no" to. I am learning to say "or" and not " and".
Wednesday night, after I had finished making my "To Do List" for work on Thursday I finished this first chapter where Craig ask you to stop and make a " To Don't List", " A What?," I asked myself. I write a " To Do" list every day but I must say I have never written a " To Don't List". He wants me to write a list of at least 3 activities in my life that I'm going to drop. I must say I didn't do it that night. I skimmed it but Thursday morning all 4 of us sat drinking our coffee and discussing what things we were going to eliminate so we could focus on more important things. It was now all about accountability. So we each made our list and shared...
My To Don't List:
1. Don't stay at work after 4 pm more than three days a week. ( Not sure how I am going to do that but it is called faith, right?)
2. No work email or phone calls after 5 pm each day.
3. No Facebook, Twitter, reading, skimming, etc on the weekend ( I can post but no spending time on reading about what everyone around me is doing) I need to live more in the present.
There were a few others but these are my top 3. I must say I left work at 3:45 on Thursday but bombed on Friday and left at 5:15. I did better on the work email and phone calls. I did better than I have in a while this weekend on the Facebook, Twitter but I must say I am a work in progress but I am determined to make a change and am so lucky that I have some wonderful ladies to keep me accountable.
Yesterday before church it all really hit me about how bad I am to say "yes" before really thinking things through, I know God is going to help me and I know that for once it is sinking in. There is no time like the present,right.
So now that you know what God is teaching me, "What things do you need to put on your " To Don't List"? How well are using the time that has been given to you?" Just something to think about in this crazy, fast paced world in which we live in.
"Okay," I think to myself I can do this. So I download the sample of WEIRD into my iBooks. Yes, the sample because I didn't have enough money at the time in my entertainment envelope to buy it. I begin to read the intro and can totally relate to Groeschel on his college years. Mine were much the same. Then all of a sudden I begin to read Part 1: TIME. I should have known this subject was going to convict me but I never knew how much it would. God has been working on this area in my life for about 3 years now ever since I broke my foot and I had to rely on others around me. But TIME has always been an enemy of mine. I have often joked that I have " Martha-like" tendencies that I don't know how to say "no." All of which is true. I never wanted to let anyone down by saying those two letters. But over the last 3 years it is something I have struggled off and on with. I will do better for a time and then I let my priorties get out of wack! There were several things in this first chapter that once again caught my attention. Things that I know God wants to use to make sure I stay on this narrow road...
1. " When we overschedule ourselves in the belief that we can do everything, we stop being human and try to become godlike- not only impossible but also incredibly arrogant. Most of us are living at a pace that is not only unsustainable; it's unbiblical.
2. " You have enough time to do everything God wants you to do."
3." We need to use the time we already have differently.
4. " We fall into the trap of beign busy instead of being bigger than the tyranny of the urgent."
5. Normal people allow good things to become the enemy of the best things. Too many good ( or acceptable) things quickly overwhelm the most important things in life.
6. Keeping an "or" in the water prevents filling your boat with so many good things that they ultimately sink the ship.
All of these statements struck me to my core, I can so easily say " yes" to many "good' things that the important things in my life are shut out. I know this is something I constantly battle but I am believing that if I will allow God to take over He will show me what I need to say "yes" to and what is okay to say "no" to. I am learning to say "or" and not " and".
Wednesday night, after I had finished making my "To Do List" for work on Thursday I finished this first chapter where Craig ask you to stop and make a " To Don't List", " A What?," I asked myself. I write a " To Do" list every day but I must say I have never written a " To Don't List". He wants me to write a list of at least 3 activities in my life that I'm going to drop. I must say I didn't do it that night. I skimmed it but Thursday morning all 4 of us sat drinking our coffee and discussing what things we were going to eliminate so we could focus on more important things. It was now all about accountability. So we each made our list and shared...
My To Don't List:
1. Don't stay at work after 4 pm more than three days a week. ( Not sure how I am going to do that but it is called faith, right?)
2. No work email or phone calls after 5 pm each day.
3. No Facebook, Twitter, reading, skimming, etc on the weekend ( I can post but no spending time on reading about what everyone around me is doing) I need to live more in the present.
There were a few others but these are my top 3. I must say I left work at 3:45 on Thursday but bombed on Friday and left at 5:15. I did better on the work email and phone calls. I did better than I have in a while this weekend on the Facebook, Twitter but I must say I am a work in progress but I am determined to make a change and am so lucky that I have some wonderful ladies to keep me accountable.
Yesterday before church it all really hit me about how bad I am to say "yes" before really thinking things through, I know God is going to help me and I know that for once it is sinking in. There is no time like the present,right.
So now that you know what God is teaching me, "What things do you need to put on your " To Don't List"? How well are using the time that has been given to you?" Just something to think about in this crazy, fast paced world in which we live in.
Monday, August 22, 2011
God Will Help You Get It Done
There is nothing more exciting to me than fall. It is truly my favorite time of the year. School begins, football begins, routines begin, and the leaves begin to change!
As I was teaching during Kidz Praize this past Sunday, I realized how blessed we are by change and new beginnings and how with God's help we can get anything done. If we are truly and completely leaning on Him; anything is possible. There are lots of new beginnings for me right now. I'm at a new school full time. I am helping start a prayer time with a group of teachers. I've been blessed with the opportunity to lead our nursery, preschool, and KidzPraize volunteers every Sunday at our church. I know that on my own I am not capable of doing any of these things but with God's help: He will help me get it done. Praying for His will to be done throughout these new beginnings... What are you knowing and believing God to help you get done?
In His Name,
Penny
As I was teaching during Kidz Praize this past Sunday, I realized how blessed we are by change and new beginnings and how with God's help we can get anything done. If we are truly and completely leaning on Him; anything is possible. There are lots of new beginnings for me right now. I'm at a new school full time. I am helping start a prayer time with a group of teachers. I've been blessed with the opportunity to lead our nursery, preschool, and KidzPraize volunteers every Sunday at our church. I know that on my own I am not capable of doing any of these things but with God's help: He will help me get it done. Praying for His will to be done throughout these new beginnings... What are you knowing and believing God to help you get done?
In His Name,
Penny
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)